


two autumns

by dorypop



Category: Raven Cycle - Maggie Stiefvater
Genre: Established Relationship, M/M, POV Adam Parrish, they talk about feelings in this one!
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-12
Updated: 2020-07-12
Packaged: 2021-03-05 05:07:24
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,822
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25219009
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dorypop/pseuds/dorypop
Summary: Ronan walks into Gansey’s attempts at ganseying Adam. For the tumblr prompt: “How much of that did you hear?”
Relationships: Ronan Lynch/Adam Parrish
Comments: 13
Kudos: 204





	two autumns

**Author's Note:**

> This actually started as a drabble for a [tumblr](https://hklnvgl.tumblr.com) prompt (“How much of that did you hear?”, requested by [@creativefiend19](https://archiveofourown.org/users/creativefiend19/pseuds/creativefiend19)), but got a little out of hand.

It was hot inside Monmouth—Adam could feel his shirt getting stuck to his clammy skin under his armpits. He wanted to shrug his coat and his Aglionby sweater off and release his sore shoulder from its heavy task of supporting all the weight of his book-loaded messenger bag. He wanted to feel welcome enough that he could do all those things with the certainty he wouldn’t need to pick them after a minute to storm off the door.

But Gansey had been looking at him strangely the whole day, and only promised Adam they’d talk later when he’d asked during recess if everything was all right.

It was definitely not, Adam assumed, because Gansey had driven them both to Monmouth and had kept looking at Adam for _three full minutes_ before Adam had finally snapped.

“What’s going on?”

Gansey gasped, as if he hadn’t been waiting such interruption to his deep staring.

“Oh, nothing, of course. I should’ve offered you something to drink. We’ve got soda, I think.” That _we_ probably meant Blue, Henry and him, because they were the ones who stayed at Monmouth for sleepovers, now that Ronan had moved out and that they did most of their group gatherings at either Fox Way or the Barns.

Adam didn’t make a move to get closer to the fridge.

“Gansey,” he said.

Gansey sighed.

“I just worry, Adam.”

“I know,” Adam said, softer. “Anything in particular?”

“Not exactly, but—I’m worried.”

“About?”

Gansey sighed once again. He took a seat at the very edge of the couch—Adam remained standing.

“I just—we don’t see you a lot anymore. I was just wondering—”

“I’m doing fine,” Adam said, seeing the question in Gansey’s arched eyebrows. “We still have a lot of classes together, and we go for pizza all the time—” Adam stopped. Something had shifted in Gansey’s expression—something that meant this was really not what Gansey’d wanted to talk about. “What is it,” he said, and waited.

Gansey took a deep breath.

“What about Ronan?” he asked.

“What about him?”

“How are things—between you two?”

Adam narrowed his eyes.

“We’re fine,” he said, one more time. “Has he said anything?”

“What? No, no, of course not. He’s very private, you know, especially when it comes to amatory matters.”

Adam tilted his head. He knew that. He still didn’t see the point of this conversation.

“So?”

“You two used to fight so much—Don’t get me wrong, Parrish, I’m really happy that you are dating Ronan, you’re both really important to me and—”

“What, Gansey?”

“Ronan’s stayed here two nights this week.”

Adam nodded. That wasn’t a secret.

“It’s not because we’re fighting or anything,” he explained, even though he wasn’t sure he owed Gansey an explanation _for that_.

“Hm, no, I know, Ronan told me.”

“Then?”

“Are you sure you’re not neglecting him, Adam?”

The already torrid room turned a hundred degrees hotter.

“What?” he asked, in hopes his bad ear was deceiving him.

“Well, we all know your grades are the most important thing for you—and I support you fully on that, of course. But you spend a lot of time studying, and then you have your jobs—which are also important, I know—”

“Gansey.” Adam gripped his bag stripe, hard. He breathed through his nose. “If Ronan has a problem with how I handle my schedule, he’ll definitely tell me. _Trust me_ , he will. And perhaps I’ll listen to him, because, you know, if he thinks I’m spending too little time with him, it’s actually his business, _unlike yours_.” Gansey opened his mouth to speak, but Adam wasn’t finished. “But don’t worry, because we’re doing _fine_ , as you’d know if you’d just asked like a normal person instead of making me think there was something wrong that you needed to tell me in private! And, for the record, I do know how to take care of my boyfriend.”

Adam turned to leave—he needed to be out, it was too hot in there and he felt like he couldn’t breathe.

He wasn’t expecting to collide with Ronan’s body on his hastily retreat.

Adam took a brief moment to appreciate Ronan’s long eyelashes as they fluttered to look directly into Adam’s eyes, before panicking and taking a step back.

He hadn’t heard him coming in—he still had a key, after all. For all Adam had said to Gansey about how his communication with Ronan was top-notch, they hadn’t talked about what they were to each other yet.

Ronan’s hand shot forward and steadied him.

“Ronan, hello. We weren’t expecting you,” Gansey said, reminding Adam he was still there, witnessing him jump around like a frightened rabbit. “Will you be staying for dinner?”

“How much of that did you hear?” Adam asked, completely ignoring Gansey.

Ronan’s eyes finally left Adam’s face. Adam’s skin didn’t blush easily, but he was sure to be sporting a deep-pink flush at that moment.

“Dick,” Ronan said. “No. I need some time alone with my _boyfriend_.”

Adam’s heart started beating harder. Ronan was smirking, but that was probably just for show. They should definitely have talked about this earlier. Why hadn’t they talked about this earlier? Now Adam was fucking everything up by trying to corset that magical thing they had going on, that some days felt too good to be true.

The hand still on Adam’s arm squeezed him a little, which calmed Adam’s nerves slightly —just enough to allow Ronan to steer him outside and into the parking lot.

“Sorry, I should’ve asked before saying _that_ ,” Adam muttered, when they came to a stop next to the BMW.

Ronan unlocked the door and Adam finally took off his coat and left it in the back seat. He didn’t get himself inside, though. He was very grateful for the light breeze that ruffled his hair and allowed him to begin to organize his scattered thoughts.

Ronan waited until Adam was ready to look him in the eye.

“Didn’t hear it all, though” Ronan said. “Is he bothering you like this a lot? Do I need to talk to him about it?” He was smiling, but Adam could hear the seriousness of the question.

He shook his head.

“No. Nobody needs to talk to anybody about anything. You _people_ need to stop meddling into other people’s lives.” Adam swallowed and shut his mouth, because he realized it had sounded like he for some reason didn’t include himself in that _people_ collective. He should probably just go to bed and start again in the morning.

He had work later, though. He hoped he’d have time for a quick shower before his shift—he felt all sweaty and disgusting.

Ronan’s hand fondled Adam’s cheekbone, making Adam’s whole body shiver.

“What was all that about?”

“He was just worried that I was— _neglecting_ you.” Adam nearly choked on the word. It felt wrong— _deplorable_ , even—to say such things when you had Ronan Lynch’s fingers touching your skin. He rushed to explain himself, suddenly needing Ronan to understand: “I know we agreed to it, that I need to sleep at St. Agnes at least a few nights a week—I know you said you were okay with it, but—”

Adam brought his hand to rest on top of Ronan’s, stilling him. He didn’t think he could keep talking if Ronan kept distracting him _like that_.

Adam should have guessed Ronan wasn’t going to let Adam get away with that.

“Did you tell Gansey how fucking wrong he was?” Ronan whispered, very close to his good ear, before kissing his way down Adam’s jaw.

Adam was having trouble to keep standing up.

“No, because it’s none of his business!” he said, but it came out weak and breathy.

“Well, I’m not feeling neglected right now—”

Adam closed his eyes. He wished it could be that easy—he wished it was just a matter of him letting go, of giving up all his futile attempts at resisting what could not be resisted and trusting Ronan would catch him when he fell. Not that Ronan wouldn’t—Adam trusted him too much to not know that.

“Ronan,” he said, pushing a bit against Ronan’s broad chest.

Ronan stopped kissing his neck, which helped Adam get some cool air into his lungs but didn’t feel so great apart from that.

“Now I _am_ gonna have a few words with Gansey, for ruining a perfectly good making out session with my pretty _boyfriend_ , whom I haven’t seen in three whole days.”

“You saw me yesterday.

“With everyone else. Not as _boyfriend_ s.”

Adam bit his bottom lip. “Should we talk about that too?”

Ronan rolled his eyes. “Gansey already knew we were dating.”

Adam snorted. “I know that. I just—it doesn’t bother you, right? I want you to be my boyfriend.”

Ronan’s eyes were serious when they met Adam’s. “That’s what we are, then.”

“Good. Great.”

“Is it? You sound like you just ran a marathon. Did you miss me that much?” Ronan’s nose tried to get back the nuzzling it was doing earlier. It was soothing, so Adam didn’t protest.

“When I leave for college, it’s going to be longer than three days,” he said to the top of Ronan’s shaved head. And he kept talking, because it was somehow easier if he didn’t have to see the disappointment all spread out in Ronan’s face. “I was kinda—training myself. Or something. For the future—to see if I could stand being apart from you, you know? It was kind of dumb, really. I don’t want _Gansey_ to be right about our relationship problems.”

Ronan’s nose left Adam’s neck.

“Do we have problems?”

Adam hugged Ronan tightly. “I don’t mind if we do, as long as we fix them,” he said.

It was hot in Ronan’s arms, even without his coat, but Adam pressed himself even closer against him.

They stayed in silence for a few minutes, until Adam couldn’t stand it anymore and let go just to be able to see Ronan. Ronan looked back, tender and sweet, but also frowning.

“You never lied about it,” Ronan said. “You were always going to leave—I knew that.”

“I’m not trying to drive you away.”

Ronan nodded.

“It won’t be easy, that’s for sure. I’ll miss you,” Ronan’s frown melted, as if it’d never been there. “But it’ll be worth it, Adam.”

“Yeah?”

“Yeah.”

Adam believed him, because Ronan never lied. He kissed him, because he’d also missed Ronan’s lips in the past three days.

“So, I managed to clear my weekend.” Adam said, which was the whole point of him preventing himself from kissing Ronan for three days straight so that he could focus on studying. “I’ll drive to the Barns after my shift at Boyd’s on Friday, and I’ll just leave Monday morning before class. Does that work?”

Ronan kissed him again, which meant _yes_.

**Author's Note:**

> Title from a haiku by Masaoka Shiki: For I who go / for you who stay / two autumns.


End file.
